Telephone support



y 5, 1951 s. B. ROSS 2,552,590

TELEPHONE SUPPORT Filed May 14, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR SAMUEL 15. Ross 9 WW /6 ATTORNEYS May 15, 1951 s. 8. Ross 2,552,590

TELEPHONE SUPPORT I Filed May 14, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 so v-- SAMu L 6- Ross :JWs i/ Patented May 15, 195i TELEPHONE SUPPORT Samuel E. Ross,, Washington, D. 0.

Application May 14, 1948, Serial No. 27,075

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to supports and more particularly to a support for holding a French type telephone or handset in operative position.

It is frequently necessary for a telephone user to have both hands free during a telephone conversation and various makeshift devices have been provided with that end in view. The device in most common use consists of a bracket fastened to the handle of the telephone and the user holds the telephone in operative position between his head and shoulder. This device is not only awkward and uncomfortable but in order to leave the telephone, the user must remove the telephone by hand and replace it by hand to resume the conversation. Other devices having screw clamps and the like are known but because of the inconvenience of operating these clamps the devices have not gone into common use.

I have found that the difficulties and disadvantages of these prior efforts can be overcome by providing a suitable holder and support entirely independent of the user and a clamp which is actuated by merely placing the telephone thereon and released by merely lifting the telephone.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple, efficient and inexpensive support for securing a handset in operative position.

Another object is to provide a clamp by which a handset may be readily and releasably secured in operative position on a support.

A further object is to provide an adjustable support for a handset in which the weight of the telephone actuates a clamp to hold the telephone in operative position.

A still further object is to provide a handset support which actuates the switch when moved to inoperative position and holds the handset in speaking position when moved to operative position.

Still another object is to provide a support for holding a handset in speaking position which may be folded so as to take up a minimum of space.

These and other objects and advantages reside in novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved support showing a handset in place;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of such support;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified form of support;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the modified support shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevation showing adjustments for the support;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the adjustments shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of clamp;

Figure 8 is a front elevation of a modification in which the support operates the telephone switch; and

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of the operation of the clamp.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 shows the support with a handset in place. The handset ponsists of the usual mouthpiece I0 and receiver lI connected by a handle I2. The support consists of an upright I3 having at its upper end a curved hook I4 which engages the mouthpiece [0 of the telephone. A link I5 is pivotally secured to the upright I3 by a pivot pin I6 and has at its free end a receiver engaging fork IT. The pivot pin I6 which forms the pivotal axis of the link 15 is spaced laterally from the center of rotation of the mouthpiece I0 in the mouthpiece hook I4.

The clamping action of the support of the present invention can be best understood by reference to Figure 9. The inner edge of the receiver I I describes an are I II when the telephone is pivoted with the mouthpiece I0 in engagement with the hook I4. The link I5 is of such length and the pivot pin I6 is so located that the arc of 1'0?- tation of the receiver engaging fork II indicated at IIT intersects the are I I I. As shown in Figure 9, the center of gravity of the telephone is outside the pivot I6 so that the weight of the telephone tends to rotate the link IS in a counterclockwise direction until the arcs III and ill intersect at which point the telephone is securely clamped. Merely lifting the telephone serves to release the clamp.

The upright I3 may be mounted on any suitable support such as a flexible tube, lazy tongs or the like. For simplicity of illustration, Figures 1 and 2 show the upright I3 secured to a bracket I8 by a pin I9 and I prefer to use a friction washer 20 between the upright i3 and bracket I8 so that the bracket I3 will remain in selected position. The bracket I8 may be provided with a stop 2i which engages the upright I3 when the upright is in vertical position. The bracket I01 may be secured to any suitable support by screws 22.

The improved support of the present invention is so compact that it may be conveniently secured to the inside of a desk drawer 23 having the usual drawer handle 24 and when not in use, the support may be pivoted about the pin 19 so that it is entirely within the drawer. When the telephone is removed, the link 15 drops of its own weight to a position parallel to the upright l3 so that the entire support takes up a minimum of space along the front edge of the drawer. Of course the support could also be secured to a suitable wall bracket or the like.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the outer end of the mouthpiece hook 14 of the upright l3 may be provided with a stop pin 25 for limiting the movement of the link Hi. link are in the position shown in Figure 3, the receiver ll may be placed in the receiver fork ll of the link l and the link and telephone move counterclockwise until the mouthpiece ll] engages the mouthpiece hook Hl of the upright I3 as shown in Figure 1.

It may be desirable to provide an upright of variable length so that it may be adjusted for use by persons of different height. One simple form of adjustment is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 in which the upright 26 is adjustably secured to a member 27. The adjustment mechanism consists of a pin 28 and a screw 29 rigidly fixed on one .side of the member 21 and extending through a longitudinal slot 35 in the upright 25. A wing nut 3i threaded on the screw 29 serves to clamp the upright in adjusted position relative to the member 21. If desired, a washer 32 may be used between the wing nut 31 and the upright 26.

The member 21 carrying the upright 25 may be releasably clamped to a bracket 33 rather than frictionally clamped as shown in Figures 1 and 2. One suitable form of releasable clamp is shown in Figures 5 and 6 and consists of a screw 34 fixed to the bracket 33 and extending through a suitable aperture in the lower end of member 21. A wing nut 35 threaded on the screw 34 serves to clamp the member 21 to the bracket 35. The bracket 33 may be secured to the inside of a desk drawer by screws 36 and may be provided with a stop 31. The bracket 33 may be tapered asshown in: Figure 5 so as tohold the telephone at. more convenient angular position.

The uprights [3 or 25, the link l5. and the member 21. may all be made of any suitable material and I prefer to use rods or stampings or castings of light metal such as aluminum alloy. If desired, a. suitable spring may be provided between the link I5 and the upright. [3 or the upright 26 to urge the link into upright position but I prefer to omit such .a spring since the spring would tend to reduce the clamping due to the weight of the telephone.

In the modification shown in Figure 7 the up right 4|] is formed with a large hook 41 for receiving the receiver ll and a link 42 pivotally connected at 43 to the upright has a portion 44 at its free end for engaging the mouthpiece [5. The operation of this modified form of clamp is substantially identical with that of they clamp shown in Figures 1 to 4. The upright 40. may be secured to any suitable support as shown in Figures 1 to 6 and 8.

The forms and embodiments previously described serve only to hold the telephone and some means such as a metal bar or weight may be pro,- vided to depress thev telephone switch when the telephone is not in use. Figure 8 shows a modi: fication in which the upright itself serves to depress the switch when the telephone is not in use.

In this modification I provide a plate which When the upright and may be recessed at 5i to hold the telephone base 52 in fixed position. The telephone base 52 is of the usual construction having pairs of upstanding arms 53 for receiving the telephone and the usual switch buttons 54 between the arms 53.

A vertical member 55 is fixed to the plate 50 at one side of the base 52 preferably in alignment with the switch buttons 54 and preferably of the same height as the buttons 54 above the plate 50. An arm 56 is pivotally secured to the member 55 by a pin 51 and carries at its upper end a clamp indicated generally at 58 for holding the telephone indicated generally at 59. The clamp; 58 may be of the form shown in Figures 1 to 4 or of the form shown in Figure '7.

When the telephone 59 is not in use, the arm 56 carrying the telephone 59 is swung to a substantially horizontal position as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 8 in which position the arm 56 holds the switch buttons 54 depressed. In order to use the telephone, the arm 56 is swung up to the full line position shovvnin Figure 8 releasing the switch buttons. A projection 50 on the member 54 stops the arm 55 when the telephone is in correct. operating position and the upper end of the arm'56 is formed so as to hold the telephone in convenient speaking position.

The simplicity and effectiveness of my improved support are apparent from the foregoing description. The clamp consists of only two relatively movable parts and the weight or the telephone itself urges these parts into clamping engagement with the mouthpiece and receiver ends of the telephone. It is necessary merely to place the telephone on the support and the clamping is automatic without the need of tightening or adjusting screws or bolts and. merely lifting the telephone is sufilcient. to release it from the clamp. In the modification shown in Figures I and 4, upon lifting the telephone, the link i5 will drop down parallel to the upright i3 so that the support may be conveniently kept in a desk drawer without taking up substantial space. Despite the simplicity of construction the telephone is positively clamped so. that pressure from the users head or even relatively'severe blows. will not dislodge. it from the support andthis clamping action is maintained over a wide range of angular positions of the. support.

The position of the clamp relative to. the arm is such that the telephone is held in normal speaking position so that the user can talk. from a normal, comfortableposition and still have both hands free. For users, such as railway ticket clerks and the like, where the simultaneous. use of the telephone and both hands. is' essential and continuous, my improved support results in: a substantial increase in comfort and: convenience and a substantial reduction in fatigue.

The invention may be embodied in other spucific forms without departing from the spirit.- or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing. description, and all changes, which come within the meaning and range .of'equivalency of. the claims are therefore intended to, be. embraced therein.

What is claimed. and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A support for a telephone comprising a handle having a mouthpiece. at one end and areceiver at the other comprising. an upright. having; a

mouthpiece engaging portion at its upper end and a link pivotally connected at one end to said upright adjacent said mouthpiece engaging por tion, said link having a receiver engaging portion at its other end, said link being of such length that the arc of rotation of said link about said pivot intersects the arc of rotation of the receiver about said mouthpiece engaging portion.

2. A support for a telephone having a mouthpiece and a receiver connected by a handle comprising an upright, means at the upper end of said upright for rotatably engaging said mouthpiece, a link pivotaily secured at one end to said upright adjacent but spaced from said means, a receiver engaging portion at the other end of said link, the length of said link plus the distance Toetween the pivotal axis of the link and the pivotal axis of the mouthpiece being greater than the length of said handle.

3. A device for holding a telephone handset comprising a mouthpiece member and a receiver member connected by a handle said device comprising a support, an arm pivotally connected at its lower end to said support, means on the upper end of said arm for engaging the inner surface of oneof said members adjacent said handle, a link pivotally connected at one end to said arin adjacent said engaging means, means at the other end of said link for engaging the inner surface of the other of said members adjacent said handle, and means including the weight of said handset for urging the two engaging means apart to grip said handset.

SAMUEL B, ROSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,266,703 Daly Oct. 28, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 614,816 France Apr. 20, 1926 655,917 France May 31, 1928 80,298 Switzerland Mar. 17, 1919 

